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1[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/prehistorik04_7174.gif]]
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3%%Caption removed per the Caption Repair thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1404492079030138900&page=137#comment-3403
4%%Please see that thread to discuss a new caption
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8''Prehistorik'' is a [[TheNineties 1991]] VideoGame by Creator/TitusSoftware, with a sequel, ''Prehistorik 2'', released in 1993. They are both {{Platform Game}}s where you control caveman Sam in his search for food (for himself and his family), killing wild animals and other cavemen in order to gain points and complete levels.
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10The sequel was later remade on the UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem and the UsefulNotes/GameBoy under the name ''Prehistorik Man''. In this one, a bunch of dinosaurs stole the village's food supplies. Having no way to replenish them before the winter strikes, the village Elder sends Sam on a quest to find the fabled Dinosaur Graveyard, so they can get enough [[WeirdCurrency bones]] to buy a new supply. As an extra motivator, Sam also gets the beautiful Elder's daughter's hand if successful. This version was later re-released on the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance. A VideoGameRemake of the original was also released in 2013, but was [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes delisted from all digital stores]] after it turned out to be received horribly.
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12[[SimilarlyNamedWorks Unrelated to]] ''VideoGame/PrehistoricIsle'' games.
13----
14!!This game provide examples of:
15* AdaptationExpansion: ''Prehistorik Man'' greatly expands on ''Prehistorik 2'', introducing new locations and settings, and even creating a small world with the inclusion of other characters, tribes, towns and even mythology as explained by the Elder.
16* AdaptationalNameChange: Sam has been renamed to Grag in the remake.
17* AdvancingWallOfDoom: ''Prehistorik Man'' has the [[RiseToTheChallenge tree on fire level]].
18* AirAidedAcrobatics: The Windy Tree level.
19* AnIcePerson: ''Prehistorik Man'''s third boss has a freezing breath.
20* ArtisticLicensePaleontology: As typical, dinosaurs and cavemen.
21* AttackItsWeakPoint: All bosses in ''Prehistorik'' have a specific one: the toes for the large dinosaur, the tail for the triceratops and the face for the huge caveman.
22* AutoScrollingLevel: In ''Prehistorik 2'', one level has you platforming your way down a giant hollow tree. The screen steadily goes down and if you go completely off the top, or fall to the bottom before another platform appears, you die.
23* BambooTechnology: Slimeville has working elevators and transporters out of rocks, vines and bamboo.
24* BackgroundBoss: The 2nd boss in ''Prehistorik Man''.
25* BattleBoomerang: Used by the stronger Apemen.
26%%* BeastMan: The Apemen.
27* BearsAreBadNews: Grizzly Bears early on, and [[PaletteSwap Polar Bears]] in the last stages.
28* BlackoutBasement: The Dark Tree level, where Sam is guided by a tamed firefly.
29* BlandNameProduct: [=WcDonald's=] fries and sodas.
30* TheBlacksmith: One of Sam's team members in ''Prehistorik Man'', who creates weapons for Sam.
31* BlobMonster: Mucus monsters in ''Prehistorik Man'''s Slimeville stages
32* BossOnlyLevel: The even-numbered levels in the first game. All bosses are fought in a secluded boxing ring, and you challenge them right at the start, without needing to get there through any platforming gameplay.
33%%* BottomlessPits
34* CameraAbuse: In the 2013 remake, enemies occasionally get smacked against the screen when you kill them. It does nothing except obscure your view.
35* CanisLatinicus: ''Prehistorik Man'''s ending credits lists all level enemies with a Latin-esque humorous "scientific name". For example, the sliding penguins are "Freising Mybutoff".
36%%* CarryABigStick: Sam's weapon, a club.
37* CheckpointStarvation: The original ''Prehistorik'' (as well as its predecessor ''VideoGame/TitusTheFox'') gives you a code for each level that lets you continue from that level. However, it doesn't give you that code at the beginning of the level: instead, you have to find it, somewhere in the middle, and quite often hidden in some hard-to-find area. If you almost complete level 4 without finding its code, well, back to level 3 for you.
38* CraniumRide: Turtles and spiders (''Prehistorik Man'' only)
39%%* CoolOldGuy: The Village Elder.
40* DamselInDistress: The Elder's Daughter in the Crystal Caves stage.
41* DeathThrows: Used in ''Prehistorik Man'' for Sam and the mooks. Interestingly, the way drowning is handled changes late in the game: Initially the character is thrown when he hits the bottom (once you've hit the surface you can't swim or jump out anyway), but after being told water makes you drown, the death animation is changed to drowning.
42* DeathFromAbove: Giant boulders in the Old Volcano level.
43* DeathMountain: The Ancient Bridge (2nd stage) is set on a mountain, while Cloud Canyon is at the side and over a canyon
44* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: In the Japanese ''P-Man'', Inventor is called "Doctor Hakase"...or "Doctor Doctor".
45* DevelopersForesight: Attempting to play the game after the date on the computer surpasses the year 1996 makes a message from the developers appear, surprised that their game has stood the test of time well enough to still be played.
46* DinosaursAreDragons: Some dinosaurs in ''Prehistorik Man'' can breathe fire.
47* DistressedDude: The Hunter in the Ape Man Village stage.
48* DirtyCop: The officer at the end of every vehicle-based GimmickLevel in ''Prehistorik Man'' will always threaten Sam with arrest for having no license to use the gadgets, but will let it slide after Sam gets enough diamonds from the stage.
49* DungeonShop: The merchant in ''Prehistorik Man'' sets up shop in pretty much any non-friendly territory...though he'd not get close to the haunted Dinosaur Graveyard.
50* EdibleCollectible: The object is to gather food for the tribe. Said food comes in four groups: Dairy, junk, fruits, and big foods.
51* EasyModeMockery: When played on Easy, ''Prehistorik Man'' ends in level 14 out of 23, right after the second boss.
52* EnemyRollCall: In the normal ending of ''Prehistorik Man''.
53* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep:
54** All characters but Sam in ''Prehistorik Man'' are called by their profession (Hunter, Metalsmith, Inventor...). Averted in the French version, where the Hunter is called "T-Rex Jack". Others still have only titles, though (though the chief and his daughter are named in the manual)
55** The manual for the Japanese version, instead, calls the Inventor "[[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment Doctor Hakase]]" and the chief's daughter "Lady June".
56* EverythingTryingToKillYou: Spiders? Check. Werewolves[=/=]Bigfoot? Check. Some random moving floor taking you to your doom? Check.
57* EyesAreUnbreakable: When burned to ashes.
58* FallingChandelierOfDoom: The FinalBoss in ''Prehistorik 2'' throws these alongside rocks, for some reason.
59* FetchQuest: Several in ''Prehistorik Man''. In the 4th level, the High Jungle, Sam needs to find and retrieve 3 gems. In the 16th level, Slimeville Town, he instead needs to find 4 pieces of a book. Others include a spotted lion's skin (level 2), a torc (5), three keys (12) and a firefly (13).
60* FossilRevival: The final boss is a giant Tyrannosaurus skeleton.
61%%* GimmickLevel
62* GadgeteerGenius: The Inventor in ''Prehistorik Man'', who creates vehicles for Sam to use:
63** a [[{{Flight}} Hang Glider]] to pass over a canyon.
64** a [[InASingleBound Pogo Stick]] to reach the treetops.
65** a [[MonowheelMayhem Sports Wheel]], an unicycle to escape from an hostile tribe.
66* GoombaStomp: Enemies can actually survive up to 4 stomps, but doing this nets 4 bones instead of just one.
67* GoombaSpringboard: Most enemies who don't work as a CraniumRide.
68* GreenHillZone: The first level in the first game, overlapping with {{Prehistoria}}. The only major hazards besides the enemies are some spiky rocks that can be easily destroyed and some bonfires in the caveman houses. Otherwise, it's a conventional starter level to learn the basics of the game.
69* HappilyMarried: As seen in the ending of the first two games.
70* HarmlessFreezing: The Sea Serpent's ice breath freezes Sam upon contact. If Sam manages to unfreeze before falling off the iceberg, he's no worse for wear (unfreeze too late however, and you drown).
71%%* HeartsAreHealth
72* HeartContainer: ''Prehistorik Man'' has 4 of these hidden in the stages, that increase Sam's health by one.
73* IdiotHero: Sam isn't particularly bright, and needs to be explained all sort of stuff...like that he can't ''breath underwater''.
74* IdleAnimation: Sam has a few, including falling asleep and [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall waving at the player]].
75* ImAHumanitarian: You defeat stunned enemies by eating them (illustrated by them turning into a bone with score points written on it). This can be done to caveman enemies as well.
76* KillerGorilla: The first boss in ''Prehistorik 2'' is a large gorila wearing a [[InTheHood hooded jacket]]. For some reason.
77* LevelAte: Present in ''Prehistorik 2''. The BonusStage from ''Prehistorik Man'' as well.
78* LevelsTakeFlight: The Cloud Canyon, which introduces the Hang Glider.
79* LivingStatue: The FinalBoss in ''Prehistorik 2'' is a giant [[OurMinotaursAreDifferent minotaur]] statue trapped in a wall. [[RuleOfThree For some reason]].
80* TheLostWoods: The Dark Forest, also seen in ''Prehistorik 2''. It's a dense forest filled with enemies, including squirrels that throw acorns at Sam and red snakes that serve as stationary hazards. At one point in the first game, the level employs TreeTrunkTour so Sam reaches the higher areas of the trees, and at the end he goes back down by defeating a swan enemy to make a wooden platform descend.
81* MakeMeWannaShout: Sam's got a pretty strong shout in ''Prehistorik Man'', it serves as a [[SmartBomb screen-clearing attack]].
82* MeaningfulName: The little checkpoint animal in ''Prehistorik Man'' is called "Rees-Tartah".
83* MiniatureSeniorCitizens: The Elder.
84* MookMaker: The large dinosaur boss in ''Prehistorik'' releases smaller dinosaurs mooks as its only attack; while the living tree in ''Prehistorik 2'' sends bugs at Sam instead.
85* MotionParallax: The [=GameBoy=] version has multiple, fully formed layers of parallax scrolling in the intro --the trees in front of Sam run faster than Sam and the text boxes he drags, which in turn move faster than the foliage in the background. The text boxes themselves are animated this way, although with no transparency, to allow their movement to be differentiated from Sam's.
86* MrExposition: Seemingly the Elder's only reason to exist is to explain to Sam the location and objectives.
87* NamedAfterFirstInstallment: It uses NumberedSequels, with the first game just called ''Prehistorik''. The series name refers to the game's time period, {{Prehistoria}}.
88* NothingButSkulls: The Dinosaur Graveyard.
89* NubileSavage: The Elder's Daughter.
90* OfficiallyShortenedTitle: In Japan, the SNES game is called ''P-Man''.
91* OneWordTitle: ''Prehistorik'' refers to the game's time period, {{Prehistoria}}.
92* OrganDrops: Enemies aren't killed, but rather turned into meat drops temporarily (they're still animated and start walking again after a few seconds). By walking over the body, you EAT THEM ALIVE, producing a giant bone (that rise into the air with points written on it). In the last level, your enemies are [[ImAHumanitarian other cavemen]]. (Also, everything seems to just contain one big bone... including cookies and ice cream... which can be found underwater... in a game taking place in the stone age.) Averted in ''Prehistorik Man'', where all defeated enemies drop bones, the setting's equivalent of money.
93* OurGiantsAreBigger: The final boss in the original ''Prehistorik'' is a '''really huge''' caveman, big enough Sam needs a catapult to reach and [[AttackItsWeakPoint hit his face]].
94* PlayingWithFire: ''Prehistorik Man'''s first boss is a fire dinosaur. A subtype of Dinosaur {{mook}}s also have a fire BreathWeapon.
95* PoisonMushroom: A skull item that kills Sam if he touches it.
96* PolarPenguins: Sliding penguins are mooks in the ice stages.
97* {{Prehistoria}}: The overarching setting of the games, being most noticeable with the first level in the original game.
98* {{Prequel}}: The logic assumption for ''Prehistorik Man'', given the first two games shows Sam HappilyMarried, while this one shows how he got his girl.
99%%* ProjectilePlatforms: Spears.
100* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: The group formed in ''Prehistorik Man''.
101* ReformulatedGame: ''Prehistorik Man'' is very different from ''Prehistorik 2'', retaining only the basics of the gameplay and most of the graphics. The layout of the levels is all new and there are several characters giving advice and help; among them, an inventor providing the player several gizmos. ''Prehistorik 2'' has a LevelAte that is absent from ''Prehistorik Man''.
102* RiseToTheChallenge: In ''Prehistorik Man'', the "Burning Tree" level has Sam running up a hollow tree as a ''blaze of fire'' quickly raises below him.
103* RunningOnAllFours: Sam's running animation on ''Prehistorik Man''.
104%%* SceneryPorn
105* SeaMonster: The boss in ''Prehistorik Man'''s Stage 21 is a giant ice serpent.
106* ShoutOut: Sam's...Shout in ''Prehistorik Man'' is borrowed straight from [[Franchise/TomAndJerry Tom's]].
107* SlippySlideyIceWorld: The third level in the original game, the late stages Icebergs and Ice Wastes in ''Prehistorik Man'', and the second-to-last setting area in ''Prehistorik 2''. Though the floor isn't slippy, plenty of swordfish mooks jump from the cold waters, so timing is important to avoid them.
108%%* SmartPeopleWearGlasses: The Inventor.
109* SpellingBonus: BONUS warps you to a bonus stage.
110* SteppingStoneSword: Thrown spears can be used as platforms.
111* SuperDrowningSkills: Lampshaded in ''Prehistorik Man'': the death animation actually changes from "{{Bottomless Pit|s}} with water in it" to "drowning" after the character is told, late in the game,[[note]]Really, it's in stage 20 of 23[[/note]] you can't breathe in water. Which means, in this game you actually learn to drown.
112-->'''Metalsmith:''' Be careful of that water stuff, you can drink it, but you can't breathe it.
113* TemporaryPlatform: Devious ones: they fall instead of disappearing, but fall ''faster than you'', meaning it's too late to jump away, just as if they had disappeared.
114* TennisBoss: A way to damage the second boss is to club back the spiked balls he throws.
115%%* TreeTopTown: The Ape Man Village.
116* TreeTrunkTour: At one point in the first game's forest level, Sam has to enter a tree and climb it from inside to reach the higher area.
117* TurnsRed: The small dinosaur {{mook}}s go from yellow/brownish to red and become much more aggressive when hit.
118* UndergroundLevel: While not entirely, the Crystal Caves force the player through several underground tunnels and areas.
119* WeirdCurrency: Bones. They can buy food, information and services.
120* WhenTreesAttack: The second boss in ''Prehistorik 2'', a demonic tree stump with hands.
121* WingedSoulFliesOffAtDeath: The original game has your character first turn into a skeleton, then fly away, winged, white-skinned and with a halo, into heaven.
122* XtremeKoolLetterz: ''"Prehistori'''k'''"''

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